Hi all,
Not too many real estate agents turn to writing murder mysteries set in the real estate community even though we do occasionally consider killing some of our more difficult clients and associates, but I decided to. So far I haven't killed any of them, though, just made them suspects and murderers.

It started as a game in 2007 when the real estate market where I live, In Santa Cruz, California, joined the rest of the nation in a wild tailspin. I've been a real estate agent for long enough to have seen bad markets before. They tend to be mean places to work. I decided to take a time out, maybe even retire, and decided to write a mystery in much the same way as I would approach solving any other puzzle.

It's hard to write a mystery - and much more fun than I ever imagined. At this point I still have my real estate license, but writing a series (number three is started) is what I will be doing going forward.

It sounds like you're enjoying your career shift. What do you find the hardest in writing a mystery, crafting the plot or creating the characters?

I'm loving this career shift!
Characters are easy to create because most start out as someone I know...real estate clients and associates provide an almost infinite source for inspiration.

The same goes for plots. "The Death Contingency" began because I know a Realtor whose family was from Iran and who had a client disappear during escrow. What might have happened to that client set off my imagination.

"Backyard Bones" came to mind because a seller mentioned she buried a large dog in the backyard and the children of my clients wanted to start digging looking for it. What did they find when they did....

The most complicated part is making sure the timeline of events is correct: who knew what when. and coming up with how the Regan character gets her information.